u/Numerous-Quail7200

After one rescuing a hamster and caring for it for a few months I came to the conclusion that they should never have been pets. they are clearly not domestic and not meant to live in a limited space.

I have the same opinion for most pets that are caged : birds, reptiles, rodents etc. No caged animal is truly happy.

I keep seeing hamsters show sings of stress despite proper size enclosure, enough bedding and enrichment. Even mine shows a little bit of this every day.

I think it's ok (and good!) to rescue hamsters from shelters/marketplaces etc, so I am not against that at all. But i have become completely against breeding, including "ethical" hamsteries. Ppl buying hamsters do it for their own vanity! Calling it "ethical" is just coping and can't change my mind!

Curious if others have come to the same conclusion.

Side note: some people on these subreddits are also extremely consumeristic. It's good to care for your hamster but continuously buying things for different "themed-cages"? Your hamster ain't give a shi about that, it's only for the owners. Have we forgot about the environment?

Hi guys ive been thinking to get an acrylic type cage for my hamster. Right now she is in an aquarium type cage but I will be moving soon and it will be difficult to move. Acrylic is much easier to move around the house while I settle.

Ive seen some reviews that the walls are very noisy. Is this true? Sleep is VERY important for me.

Hi everyone,

I need some help deciding which pets would suit me. My problem is that I love cats, bunnies and hamsters. And I also found a dog from a shelter which remind me of my childhood dog AND is imported from my home country. Im in big trouble.

Currently I live in a small one bedroom apartment so it was only fair to get one pet and I chose a hamster. I did the appropriate research, got a good enclosure and adopted a hamster.

I will soon-ish be moving (and purchase!) a new apartment. It will be having a spatious living room + bedroom + a smaller spare room which I was planning to turn into a small pet room (my current hamster and maybe bunnies in the future? who knows).

I know I will want to have a cat because they have always been a part of my life. But a cat (or two), a hamster, possibly a dog and maybe bunnies (they are my dream pet)??

Of course I will have to throughly think of daily cleaning chores, and pet sitters for vacations.

Im also concerned about the big pets attacking or not getting along with the small pets. My plan was, if i have bunnies, to let them free roam the house in the evening and not just my office room (their bunny proof room). But if the cats are potentially not friendly it would make my life extremely difficult.

I feel like owning bunnies, a hamster and a dog is easier to combine,
but throwing cats in the mix might ruin things for me.

Also i should mention that all pets will be from the shelter. I want to rescue as much as I can. So i potentially will have an idea if the pet is aggressive or not. I also dont know if its better to raise a kitten if i have buns or to get an adult cat.

Another thing is that I am single. So no one to help on a daily basis. This could change any time but let’s not rely on that.

Please be kind, Im not rushing through the process, I only want advice from multi pet owners. I repeat, I only have a hamster right now.

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently rescued my 4 month old fem Syrian hamster a month ago and so far we’ve had some ups and downs but overall it’s been a pretty smooth experience. I enjoy making her cage interesting and crafting diy toys and baking safe treats.

I browse a local Marketplace often for supplies being given away and I stumble upon hamsters in bad conditions super often. It breaks my heart:(

Unfortunately they cannot just be taken to the shelter because local shelters don’t typically house hamsters. Also my country is not very hamster obsessed in general, and people usually get them for kids or when they also have other pets such as cats which disturb the hamster.

That being said it wouldn’t be easy for me to house another hamster because:

1. I need a new enclosure. Most second hand ones are either a wooden pawhut (can be chewed) or aquarium (which is what I have right now and it was a nightmare to transport with an Uber)
2. I am scared it will come with mites or lice. I death briefly with booklice and I could not IMAGINE having to sanitize TWO enclosures and have to put the hamsters somewhere else.

Food and bedding and enrichment are not problems for me or time for bonding. But it’s still commitment and still have a flexible schedule right now because Im finished university (but will get a job asap of course). So I can’t do something that will harm my well being.

But I love these little guys! I really want to save one more and can’t find anyone else to do it. And after I could have two enclosures available for adopting which could be great.

What are people’s experiences with one or multiple hamsters and a full-time job + busy schedule?

TLDR: Want to rescue second hamster but it’s a big commitment and I want to know how much harder it is to take care of multiple hamsters instead of one.

https://preview.redd.it/hbx6xwa1q7fh1.png?width=960&format=png&auto=webp&s=c82099d56a56ea028a20f62a712c2fed70ddcf7f

https://preview.redd.it/pwpsyxf3q7fh1.png?width=870&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9ddc767482a1252cd0c55f8b8e261abd4f31717

https://preview.redd.it/d6esbwt4q7fh1.png?width=804&format=png&auto=webp&s=efd9a4b253c046565b926b4c3a5de4255613b31b

https://preview.redd.it/e58gai66q7fh1.png?width=850&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a2fa4459065508c5fc00aeb8bb2e419e92bc794

https://preview.redd.it/8r7tab0cq7fh1.png?width=742&format=png&auto=webp&s=db286abb861e1fed1e50e5a287efec84705a9f85

This was found on a Marketplace.

Description: Multiple young Syrian hamsters from a hobby/show breeder. Primarily very young animals, 5/6 weeks old. Already very tame for their age. A few are 8 weeks old and completely tame. Sweet animals, definitely not biters. Both normal and satin coats. Multiple females and males available.

Photos 1 to 3 are males,photos 4 to 6 are females.

€15 each (the spotted male in photo 1 bottom left is €20).

when I asked for more photos of one of the hamsters he replied: "these are all of the pictures"

TLDR: Is this a backyard breeder?

https://preview.redd.it/yrs2wafjetdh1.png?width=1014&format=png&auto=webp&s=1d9151f0e8990e171a358fef5677df0dd908405f

Hello, I am looking into rescuing a second hamster and I came across this add and noticed the unusually short snout. What do you guys think?

Help me figure out if this ceramic sponge holder is worth purchasing

https://preview.redd.it/3t3ozijreych1.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5fa676507d588cf55ac7311ca99ab0aa89625372

https://preview.redd.it/ka0kuijreych1.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64680d48d21ffdae96129876b3f106bd5889b13f

https://preview.redd.it/2enr6ljreych1.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91b33e2e8efd74dc522fd1af2ba0d5a32727fcc2

Hey guys, I have been interested in getting a hamster, I’ve informed myself how big the cage should be, and what bedding to use and what to put in it for enrichment. All of these things I’ve found exclusively only bcs pet stores here are as$.

So after I order and receive the proper cage and materials, I don’t really know where to get a pet hamster from. I’m more interested in a Syrian or a bigger hamster. I have searched breeders but almost all that I’ve found haven’t been active for a few years or are very far away from Amsterdam. I don’t have a car but I’m ok travelling with the train as long as I dont have to change transportation too often. I think it would be very stressful for me and the hamster both.

Let me know if you know any trustworthy ethical breeders accessible in the NL!